1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cooking apparatus with at least one cooking area which has at least one glass-ceramic panel providing a cooking surface, which is bordered by a molded body acting as an adapter.
2. Prior Art
The current kitchen typically has a cooking area or range with a glass-ceramic panel providing a cooking surface. It is bordered or framed typically edge-to-edge with a metallic or plastic frame section acting as an adapter, in order to protect the sensitive edge of the glass-ceramic panel from mechanical stress and strain, from which a danger of breaking arises according to the material.
Adapters within the meaning of the present invention include parts that permit an edge-to-edge connection of the glass-ceramic panel to a component made of a second material (e.g. a working plate) and/or to another functional area (e.g. from the cooking surface to the control panel) and thus protect the edges of the glass-ceramic panel.
Adapters in the sense of this application are not frame section strips, which do not border the glass-ceramic panel in an edge-to-edge manner, but which only span and seal bordering edges which are separated by gaps from each other between two bent planar plates.
The usual section materials used for the adapter, such as anodized aluminum, stainless steel or the like, however react sensitively to a direct large mechanical surface load, when e.g. heavy pots and pans made from cast steel or stainless steel are placed on it. Furthermore it is notably troublesome that different cleaning agents must be used for the cooking panel and the adapter forming the bordering frame, because often the scouring or scrubbing composition required in the cooking panel region can attack the material of the bordering frame.
Because of the different materials used for the cooking surface and the bordering frame not only the outer appearance but also the haptic properties suffer.
The current conventional cooking surfaces are typically provided by planar, advantageously glass-ceramic, panels, which have limited construction and design engineering possibilities because of their limited deformability, especially regarding smaller bending radii.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cooking apparatus, which has at least one cooking area that has at least one glass-ceramic panel providing a cooking surface, which is bordered by a molded body acting as an adapter, formed so that cleaning of the cooking apparatus is simplified, the mechanical load resistance or stability of the border or frame is improved and the structural and design engineering possibilities for the cooking apparatus are greater.
This object is attained according to the invention when the glass-ceramic panel is at least partially framed with directly connected glass molded parts made from glass with definite mechanical stability and acting as adapter.
The use of molded parts made from glass with definite mechanical stability is advantageous in several respects.
The same cleaning and care materials can be used for both cooking surfaces and bordering frames.
The glass molded parts can bear a higher mechanical load than the corresponding metal and plastic parts and have a very much reduced danger of breaking in the vicinity of edges.
The glass used provides substantially improved working and shaping possibilities in comparison to the glass-ceramic material, whereby the construction and design engineering possibilities are substantially increased. Besides their function as edge protective elements, the glass molded parts may be used as surrounding or bordering parts for the glass-ceramic cooking surface in the form of
control and display panels, operating or control panels,
functional surfaces, such as heat-retaining areas, standing or counter areas and working areas,
surrounding or enveloping surfaces for remaining areas on working plate sections.
Their appearance is nearly identical, even when the degree of luster is not completely identical.
The haptic properties are identical.
The color and transparency of the glass molded parts can be used as structural and embodiment characteristics, which increase the user friendliness as well as the design features. Many additional display and presentation possibilities are provided by use of glass on account of its better transparency in comparison to glass-ceramic material.
The use of xe2x80x9chardxe2x80x9d glass as a carrier plate for control and display surfaces, i.e. as a control panel for the glass-ceramic cooking surface, is known from marketable cooking ranges. In the known case the flat glass control panel however is connected by means of a suitable metallic adapter section with the glass-ceramic panel at a positive edge.
Furthermore a frame strip made of glass for connection of a glass-ceramic panel with a control panel arranged at an angle is known from DE 41 16 820 C2. This frame strip has a mushroom-like shape with a stem that projects into the gap and a top that spans the gap in a bent region. The remaining empty space is filled with silicone material. This known glass frame strip however is not arranged between the adjoining panels or plates in an edge-to-edge manner and does not border the edges. Thus it is not an adapter in the sense of the invention with characteristic edge protecting properties, but only spans the space or gap between the upper sides of the adjoining panels or plates.
Preferably the glass molded parts are made from technical glass in the sense of German Industrial Standard DIN 1259, Part 1. This technical glass does not have as high optical specifications as optical glass.
As glasses, which have definite mechanical stability or ability to bear a mechanical load, i.e. are xe2x80x9chardxe2x80x9d, a series of glasses can be considered. The term xe2x80x9chard glassxe2x80x9d means an equipment glass, particularly which has a small thermal length expansion coefficient xcex1 less than 6.10xe2x88x926 Kxe2x88x921.
According to a second embodiment of the invention the glass molded part is made from borosilicate glass or a pre-stressed soda lime glass. Both glass materials are suitable in special amounts for the purposes of the invention as adapters for the glass-ceramic cooking surface, also because of good thermal properties. The borosilicate glass known under the trademark CONTURAX(copyright) and the chemically pre-stressed lime-sodium-glass known under the trademark DURAX(copyright) are examples of these glasses. All these technical glasses are designated in the following as xe2x80x9chard glassxe2x80x9d for simplicity.
To increase their mechanical strength it is also conceivable to make the glass molded parts from a glass fiber reinforced glass.
According to further embodiments of the invention the cooking range or area is formed so that the glass molded parts are cut out from a glass extruded or cast blank section.
This embodiment allows a flexible arbitrary cutting out of the section according to the predetermined cooking area dimensions by simple means. It requires no special tool for preparation each cooking area dimension, so that the use of the glass extruded or cast section is advantageously economical for individual assembly or job lot production.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention the glass molded parts are joined to an edge of the glass-ceramic panel and provide complete bordering edge protection for the glass-ceramic panel. In this embodiment the glass-ceramic panel is completely bordered by glass molded parts, i.e. they form the entire edge-protecting device. Embodiments are however also conceivable in which only a portion of the edge is bordered with a glass molded part or parts.
According to a further embodiment of the invention the glass molded parts have an upwardly bulging or raised shoulder that steeply drops off to the glass-ceramic panel on one side and extends flat on the other side. In this sort of embodiment the cooking area provides the impression of being surrounded by a raised frame.
The glass molded parts differ according to their purpose. Thus according to additional embodiments of the invention both lateral edges of the glass-ceramic panel or panel are bordered with a large-area plate-shaped glass molded part, which has rounded outer edges. These large-area glass molded parts form many different operational surfaces, such as a standing surface, a heat retaining surface, and so forth. They have a preferably grooved upper surface structure.
Preferably a surface on the backside of the glass-ceramic surface, i.e. the rear edge of the glass-ceramic panel, is bordered with a rectangular plate-shaped glass molded part.
The front edges of the glass-ceramic panel are preferably bordered with a curved glass molded part, which is preferably also formed as a control and/or operating panel. This sort of curved glass molded part can be made in one piece or from two curved glass molded parts and can be assembled with an intervening connected plate-shaped glass molded part. For ergonomic reasons the control surfaces of the control and/or operating panel can be formed by an inclined glass molded part.
If the cooking range or area has a sunken glass-ceramic panel or plate in a working panel, then the cooking apparatus is preferably formed with concave glass molded parts for transition to the working panel level.
If the cooking range or area is provided with a segmented working panel, in which the glass-ceramic panel or panel is received, according to one embodiment of the invention the glass molded parts are provided for filling the remaining surface, whereby the glass molded parts have a radius of curvature on their front side correspond to the working panel edge curvature.
The glass molded parts not bearing on the working panel are provided with an under-structure comprising a metal frame or section to guarantee a good structurally sound embodiment.
If the cooking apparatus is formed as a cooking station with adjacent cooking areas which each have a glass-ceramic panel as cooking surface, then large-area plate-shaped glass molded parts operating as functional surfaces are provided between the glass-ceramic panels of the cooking areas. These large-area plate-shaped glass molded parts are edge-to-edge and flush with the glass-ceramic panels of the cooking areas. Large-area terminating glass molded parts are provided at the beginning and end of the series of cooking areas. Because of these features a cooking station with a unified appearance and equal haptic is provided, which is both user friendly and easy to clean.
When the cooking areas of a cooking station are provided in a corner area, a large-area, plate-shaped glass molded part is appropriately provided in the corner region as a functional surface, which substantially increases the user friendliness.
In both embodiments the large-area plate-shaped glass molded parts preferably have a grooved upper surface for improved retention of the utensils placed on it.
Preferably a system of rails for flexible modular receipt of the glass-ceramic panel and glass molded parts is provided as a technique for assembly or joining according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.